Poll: Republican Voters Massively Support Trump's Call For Ban On Muslims
Eric Kleefeld
Donald Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States has been condemned by both Republican and Democratic leaders — but it has the overwhelming support of Republican primary voters.
The new Bloomberg Politics/Purple Strategies PulsePoll, conducted online, found that 65 percent of GOP primary voters supported the proposal, with only 22 percent against it.
"You know, we were a little bit surprised — and I think a bit disturbed, too — at some of the results we found," said pollster Doug Usher, in a Bloomberg TV segment.
Among the wider pool of general election voters, 37 percent were in favor against 50 percent who were opposed. Among Democratic primary voters, support was at only 18 percent versus 75 percent opposed.
The poll also followed up by giving respondents this background information on each side of the issue:
Donald Trump called for the temporary ban, saying "Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad."
Leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned this policy, saying that banning members of an entire religion from entering the country goes against everything we believe in as Americans. And it will make our country less safe by alienating the allies we need to fight ISIS.
Adding these clarifications resulted in only the slightest of changes: Among all likely voters, support shrank slightly to 35 percent, with opposition at 53 percent. Among GOP primary voters, support was 64 percent against 28 percent opposition; and among Democratic primary voters, the result was virtually identical at 17 percent in favor, 75 percent opposed.
Photo: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a Pearl Harbor Day rally aboard the USS Yorktown Memorial in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, December 7, 2015. REUTERS/Randall Hill